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CHICAGO - The owner of Gene and Georgetti's is responding after the abrupt cancellation of its licensing agreement for Gene's Bistro, the Chicago restaurant's outpost at Midway Airport.
What we know:
The termination of the agreement – which had 15 years remaining – came without notice or explanation, according to a statement released Tuesday by owner Michelle Durpetti. Gene’s Bistro operated at Midway Airport in partnership with SSP America, an international concessionaire.
Durpetti speculated that the termination may be linked to Chicago's reported plans to install slot machines in the city's airports to help address a $1.15 billion budget deficit.
"It’s not my place to decide whether slot machines belong in the airport," she said in the statement. "I simply believe they shouldn’t come at the expense of a local, woman-owned Chicago business that placed its confidence in the city and its concessionaire."
What they're saying:
Durpetti said the situation highlights a larger issue for local brands that partner with larger companies, which allegedly use their recognition to secure lucrative contracts — like one SSP America is currently bidding on at O’Hare International Airport.
"SSP used Gene & Georgetti’s brand equity in part to win the Midway RFP, only to jettison the brand shortly after the win," Durpetti said in the statement. "We entered this partnership in good faith and supported SSP America at every turn – even through the hardest years of the pandemic – only to be abandoned at a time of political expediency."
She also said there has been little clarity from the city regarding the closure.
"This is not only about Gene & Georgetti," Durpetti said. "It’s about every small business that has helped build this city’s reputation and continues to invest in its future. If international corporations and city agencies can disregard longstanding local partnerships this easily, it threatens the already fragile ecosystem of independent restaurants that give Chicago its soul."
The other side:
FOX 32 Chicago has reached out to SSP America for comment, but has not yet heard back.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by Gene & Georgetti. FOX 32 has reached out to SSP America for comment.